Empire of Problems
by The Devil's Angel 1313
Summary: Only two months after the Empire Records crew yelled "Damn the man, save the Empire" and succeeded, they face more personal problems.
1. Corey

** AN: This shifts point of view each chapter.**

** Disclaimer: I do not, as unfortunate as it is, own the amazing movie from the 90's (best decade ever), Empire Records or any of the eccentric characters. **

XxXxXxXxX**Corey**XxXxXxXxX

Corey held the thin plastic stick in her shaking hands. She rested her head on the edge of the bathtub, tears threatening to flow down her cheeks at any minute. Corey let them. She glanced at the white plastic one more time she studied the pink plus sign on the end of the white stick. Positive. It means positive. Could it be a false positive? No, it's been too long.

Corey carefully placed the white stick in the box again. The box so pink and colorful and cheerful, most people are happy about this. Corey wasn't. She was supposed to go to Harvard and graduate and live happily ever after with AJ. A baby would ruin this.

"No, no, no, no," Corey whispered as she brushed some of her long brown hair behind her ear. She looked in the mirror and put one hand on her abdomen. There is a thing in there, she reminded herself. Corey blinked away a few stray tears and sniffled a few times. It's only been two months since they saved Empire Records, the biggest challenge Corey and her friends had faced, until a whole new slew of problems emerged. _What do I tell AJ?_ Corey thought silently.

Corey finally dragged her eyes from her slightly less distraught reflection to focus on her watch. It was 11:37, only twenty-three minutes to make herself presentable. Corey numbly went through the motions of pulling on a lime green skirt with horizontal black stripes, a plain gray belly shirt, and thick black boots. She brushed her brown hair, letting it hang loose. By now she only had ten minutes to get to work and her eyes were no longer tinged pink.

Gina was working a slightly different shift so Corey had to walk to work alone. AJ would be there, Corey thought, and he'll greet me with a kiss and Gina with open a box of M&M's and life will go on normally.

A few minutes later, Corey entered Empire Records through the back door, head down staring at her feet. She punched in, trying to loosen her stiff motions and make everything seem less surreal.

"Corey, I need you to restock the shelves today," Joe said, exiting his office. He gave her a once over. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, Joe, I'm fine," Corey replied half-heartedly, attempting at a fake smile.

"Are you sure?"

_No, I'm a knocked-up pre-Harvard student_, Corey thought. "Yeah, really, Joe. I promise."

Joe nodded uncertainly.

Corey progressed to restocking the shelves, she was placing a Nirvana album on the shelf when hands wrapped around her waist.

"Hey, beautiful," AJ murmured, his breath tickling her ear. "How's it going?"

"Much better," Corey replied and she kissed him in an effort to escape those big puppy dog eyes and soft smile. Corey pulled away, "Someone needs to go wake Berko up, ya know."

"Well that's better than listening to Marc try to sing," AJ said, looking at their weird and most likely stoned friend. His arms slipped from around Corey's waist and he kissed her ear, "I'll be back."


	2. Deb

**AN: Deb/Gina and also language, you don't like it, don't read it. Moving on, there will be a chapter for each character (hopefully) and then one with the whole crew at the end, you always have the option to skip over a specific character if you don't want to read it. I may not continue if I don't get reviews… **

Deb parked her yellow Vespa behind Gina's house and pulled her helmet off her head which had hair thatwas rapidly returning, banishing the "Neo-Nazi-boot-camp" haircut, as Gina referred to it. Deb straightened her plain black tank top and blue jeans. Deb still wasn't sure what her relationship with Gina was, she was reluctant to refer to her as a girlfriend, but Gina was sure as Hell more than just a friend. Like AJ had been before he pronounced his love for Corey.

Deb pulled out of her thoughts and knocked on the back door twice, Gina's mother was rarely home, usually at a bar by noon, only to come home with a different man late that evening. It was already one o'clock so Gina was already off work and Deb had a few hours before her shift started.

Gina opened the door with a smile on her face**.** Deb leaned in and kissed her before even crossing the threshold; it had been a particularly bad day. "Well, hello," Gina murmured, voice breathy.

"Hi," Deb responded, meeting Gina's eyes. Deb pushed her way inside, closing the door behind her.

Deb knotted her hand in Gina's hair, bringing the soft mouth towards her own and kissing her hard. Gina's lips parted invitingly and Gina pushed Deb against the wall, her hands sliding into Deb's back pockets as she leaned farther into the kiss.

They parted for a second, breathing the air laced with each other's scent. Gina's perfume mingle with the smell of cigarettes coming from Deb. Deb still didn't understand why she was so fucking attracted to the person she used to snipe at on a daily basis, she remembered bitching and moaning to Berko about how peppy Gina was. It was confusing, but in moments like these, Deb didn't care.

Gina slid her hands out from Deb's back pockets and up her tank top, to the delicate skin on her ribcage. Deb was breathing heavily, her breath warm against the other girl's cheek. Gina sighed and Deb wrapped her hands around the back of her neck again, about to resume making out.

Someone knocked on the front door and Deb jumped guiltily. The person knocked again.

"Gina, I know you're home! It's Corey; I need someone to talk to!" Corey hollered outside. She must have left work early for some reason.

_Damn,_ Deb thought. She pulled away from Gina quickly and bolted out the back door without a word. She waited until she heard Corey enter the house before she walked her Vespa to the street and headed for the record store. Nobody could tell she was crying at this speed.

By the time she reached Empire her fear and frustration had easily turned into anger; an emotion she was more familiar with.

_I can't fucking be falling for Gina,_ Deb thought to herself. _It was supposed to be me and Berko! Me and Berko!_ _I used to love him! Not Gina, dammit! _

Deb flicked the kick stand down on her Vespa with more force than necessary. The smiling Devil AJ had painted next to the back entrance seemed to be taunting her, its wide smirk knowing. She kicked the wall, the throbbing through her toes instantly made her regret it. Deb through the door to Empire open and strode inside, slamming her white helmet into the cubbie marker "_Debra_".

"Hey, Deb, what's up?" Berko asked, dropping over the back of the old couch, guitar in hand.

Just seeing the blossoming rock star sent a pang of guilt and shame through Deb. "Just the usual shit I have to deal with. How's the band?"

"We're so close to getting a record deal, I can feel it. You know, one of our songs is about you," Berko's voice was flirty and he flashed a perfect smile at Deb.

"I can guarantee that one won't get you anywhere," Deb replied, voice hard as she punched in her count out card. Deb through her employee ID around her neck and picked up a box of freshly delivered CDs. "I need to head to the register, Corey left early."

With that she left the room, fighting back the heat building behind her eyes.

**AN: Opinions, anyone? I would greatly appreciate a review or two. How did you like Deb x Gina? **


	3. Joe

** AN: Hey guys, sorry I haven't posted in a while, my laptop charger broke and I have just procured a new one. Next up, after this chapter, will be Gina (unless you have other ideas, in which case, leave a Review). If there are typos, my sincerest apologies, I typed this entire thing on my phone because I didn't have a computer. **

Joe was dangerously close to snapping.

Jane broken up with him the day before, to catch a flight to Paris. Joe had found out a few hours after, that the flight to Paris had crashed somewhere over the ocean, killing everyone aboard. Joe hadn't told the gang yet, not that he knew how. Lately they had all seemed a little on edge and this could very well be the thing that would make them break. Joe loved them all - Lucas, AJ, Corey, Deb, Mark, Berko, they have their flaws but he had practically raised them.

Joe dragged himself away from grief-stricken thoughts and slammed a binder down on his desk, which only resulted in several papers fluttering to the ground. Joe growled in frustration. He yanked his chair over to his drum set, drumsticks in hand, and started furiously playing.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Lucas and Berko's conversation stopped mid-sentence and they both stared at Joe's office door in awe. Lucas jumped up, knocked the phone of its place on the wall, and wrapped the cord around the door handle.

"Uh-oh," Lucas remarked. "Looks like Joe's got some issues."

Berko sprinted from the couch to the register, "Debra! Play "If You Want Blood"! Joe's apparently having a bad day."

Deb hit a few buttons and all the sudden the store was alive with AC/DC's "If You Want Blood". The few customers, a couple of Mark's burnout friends, didn't seem to mind. Berko ran back into the break room and started playing his guitar in front of Joe's door, perfectly syncing to Joe's drums.

Lucas ran around, head banging and wailing on an air guitar. Deb danced on the register counter, momentarily distracted from her problems. AJ and Mark were stocking shelves and dancing down the aisles. It seemed the very portrayal of normalcy. Too bad none of them knew why Joe was playing.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

By time the time Joe had stopped banging on the drums, tears were running, sticky and salty, down his cheeks, mouth thick and hot, and a pulsing headache berated his skull. Jane, the one relationship he'd had his entire life that he had felt would work, was lying in a wreck at the bottom of the ocean.

He leapt from his seat and grabbed the plastic orange bottle from his desk drawer. He dumped the contents into his hand and stared at the white pills for a minute, until everything else faded around him. He began to raise the handful of pills to his mouth...

"Joe! You gotta play "Highway to Hell"!" Lucas yelled through the door. Berko began playing Highway to Hell on his guitar. Joe snapped out of his trance and dumped the pills back into the bottle, which he then threw into the trash.

Joe jumped back into the seat by his drums and played Highway to Hell, and this time, he didn't cry.


	4. Gina and Corey

**A/N: Wow! It's been a while. I've been working on my own original piece for quite a bit, sorry for the lack of updates. My other stories have reviews pleading for updates but I just couldn't manage. Once again, typos will probably be everywhere because laptop charger is gone and this is being typed on my iPad. So, here's Gina and her problems, kinda, it focuses on Corey, too. Reviews are very much welcomed.**

Gina jammed the end of her toothbrush into her throat and leaned over the porcelain toilet bowl. Her entire lunch made a second appearance and when she was done gagging and wreching, she flushed it away. Gina leaned against the bathroom wall, shaking, and coughed.

_Never gets any easier, I suppose_, she thought to herself. Her life had been so out of control lately between Deb and that whole blow out with Corey. A least this was something she could control, at least she had a handle on one thing. Plus, her mom was too busy drinking and puking herself to even notice. Deb probably didn't even care, Gina was just waiting for her to go back to Berko.  
Gina trotted down the stairs, after she brushed her teeth, to where Corey was curled on the couch. Corey had been eating nonstop since she had gotten to Gina's.

"So what do you need to talk about, Core?" She asked, plopping down onto the couch.

Corey just straight up bursted into tears, "I'm- I'm pregnant!" Corey sat there shaking and sobbing for a few minutes before Gina grabbed her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "What?"

"Are you sure? Did you wake a test?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Of course I took a test! It came back positive!"

"Let's get you a doctors appointment," Gina said. She walked into the kitchen and grabbed the phone. She dialed Planned Parenthood's number.

"No, Gina! I cannot go to the doct -" Corey started.

"Hi," Gina greeted into the phone. "I was wondering what your hours are for today?" She paused. "Mhmm. Eleven to eight? Yes? Okay. Is it busy today? No? Good. Thank you." She hung up. "Corey, grab your coat."

"No! If I go, what if my parents find out? Gina! I cannot do this!"

"Can't do what? Go to the doctors or raises child?" Gina asked sympathetically.

"Raise a child," Corey mumbled.

"We'll worry about that in a while. And don't worry about your parents finding out, I'll give them my name. I've been here before. Lots of false positives. Lets go."

And off they went, Planned Parenthood wasn't that far so they just walked. They walked in silence, an awkward, horrible silence. By the time they got to Planned Parenthood, Gina was winded and shaking. She wrapped her hands around her stomach, as though trying to hold herself together, and felt her ribs poke through her black cardigan. Her tolerance for physical activity was slowly decreasing and she was always tired. They walked into the waiting room together and went to talk to the receptionist. She handed them a clip board with some forms on it and Gina filled them out with her information.

"Um, I really don't need to know this, but when...?" Gina asked awkwardly.

"The night of Empire's fundraiser." Corey answered dejectedly. Gina returned the forms to the receptionist and she told them they would be called shortly. Corey and Gina waited, fidgeting with their fingernails or twirling hair.

"Gina Zellweger?" A nurse called out.

"That's me, well you," Gina said. "Let's go."

The nurse led them into an exam room and did the basic sum temperature, blood pressure, and asked some questions. She gave Corey a smile and told her the doctor would be in for the ultrasound shortly.

"AJ doesn't know, does he?" Gina asked quietly.

"No, I don't know what to tell him," Corey sniffled.

"The words, 'AJ, I'm pregnant' come to mind."

"I can't just say that, I know he doesn't want a baby! I want to go to Harvard and he wants to go to art school. This would ruined everything!"

Given that Corey came from a Catholic background, Gina didn't even point out abortion. A knock rattled the door and a doctor in her mid forties came in with the clipboard they had filled out. "Hello, Gina. I'm Doctor Martha Campbell."  
Gina just barely bit down on a, "Hi." And Corey greeted her instead. She instructed Corey ("Gina") to lay back on the table and pull her shirt up.

"This will be cold, " Dr. Campbell informed her and squirted weird jelly onto Corey belly. She pressed the ultrasound thing to Corey's belly and moved it around a bit, "There we go. See that?" - she pointed to a blue and black throbbing spot on the monitor - "Thats the baby's heartbeat. Now it's too early to tell if its a boy or a girl but everything looks normal so far."

Corey nodded numbly, not really hearing much after the "baby's heartbeat" part. Gina looked at her in worry. The doctor handed Corey some forms and instructed her on diet and exercise changes. She printed out the ultrasound image and handed it to Corey and sent them on their way.

"Where do you want to go?" Gina asked Corey. She noticed she was hungry but ignored it easily.

Corey shrugged, "Can't go home. Your mom might be home by now. I'm going to have to have Joe change my schedule so I don't have to run around all day sometime soon. We may as well go to the store."

"Corey! What about AJ?"

"He's at the store," Corey replied grimly.

"Then lets go."

**Soooo...review?**


	5. AJ

**A/N: Oh my God it has been forever! Sorry, guys. So this is what's been going on with AJ lately. Again, sorry for the wait. Enjoy. Oh, yeah, and REVIEW! Thank you :)**

AJ woke Berko up and then went back into the store to ask Joe if he could borrow his office. Joe wasn't there so AJ dropped down and picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"Hello?" AJ said.

"Hello," responded a male voice.

"Hi, I am calling about an application for a scholarship I sent in a few weeks ago."

"Name?"

"Andrew Whitworth," AJ told him, slightly embarrassed that he had to give his full first name. He heard papers rustling around in the background a few quick pecks on a keyboard. He tapped his fingers on Joe's desk nervously, this was the last scholarship application he had. It was the last chance for him to be able to get into a school near Corey.

"Ah, yes, here we go," the man on the phone said. A paper crinkled. "I'm sorry, Mr. Whitworth, your application has been - "

"AJ! What are you doing in my office?!" Joe snapped as he opened the office door.

AJ waved it off and gave Joe a pleading look.

"Denied," the man finished.

"Why?" AJ cried into the phone.

"You will have to talk to the head of the administrations for that information. I believe your grades had something to do with it. Good day."

AJ slammed the phone down into the cradle and shoved past Joe.

"Where are you going?" Joe called after him.

"To fix the sign."

AJ stormed up to the roof where he found Berko strumming his guitar and drinking a bottle of whiskey. Berko took a swig and nodded at him.

"Can I have some?" AJ asked him. Berko handed him the bottle. "Thanks." He wound forgetting about the broken sign and downing the entire bottle of whiskey.

"Ya know," AJ slurred to a concerned looking Berko. "I can't, umm, get a scholarship to a school near that big fancy school where Corey's goin'."

"Harvard?"

AJ shook his finger at Berko and stood up, stumbling around. "That's the one."

"AJ, I think we need to get you down to the couch."

"Welllllll, Berko, I don't think that at all. Joe, uh, asked me to fix the sign this mornin'."

"AJ, c'mon, man. You're gonna hurt yourself," Berko told him and grabbed his arm.

"Fine, whatever you say big shot rockstar," AJ slurred sarcastically.

Berko led AJ downstairs and put him on the couch without the customers seeing him.

"What's wrong with AJ?" Joe asked, brow furrowed.

"He's drunk..."

"He's WHAT? What is going on around here, Berko? AJ is drunk, Corey came in looking like she was up all night crying, something is going on between Deb and Gina, not to mention Gina has been looking sick for a while. Jane and I...she's...Tomorrow, everybody better have their asses in here so we can get back to normal!" Joe finished his rant and returned to his office. He poked his head out of the office a second later. "Cover AJ's shift."

Berko groaned.


End file.
